News Wrap – GW30

Hello and welcome to another edition of the News Wrap. What a horrid week it was last weekend, not one of my players scored above 2 points…. Absolutely abysmal! I don’t know about anyone else but I’m hoping for a much better week this weekend! All English clubs are now out of Europe after Arsenal, Manchester City and Everton were eliminated from their respective competitions during the week. There is some good news however, with another double gameweek on the horizon, this time for our QPR and Aston Villa player’s next gameweek (gameweek 32). Before that however, we must turn our attention to this weeks fixtures. Let’s take a look!

Injuries:

Yaya Toure will miss this weekend’s clash against West Brom after the Ivorian suffered an Achilles injury against Barcelona during the week. The severity of the injury is not fully known, however it is persistent enough to keep him out of this weekend’s match, with more information likely to come over the coming week. James Milner will also miss with a knee injury while fullback Aleksandar Kolarov is a doubt after getting a knock during the week.

West Brom will be without number 1 shot stopper Ben Foster for at least a month after he was substituted early in their 1-0 victory over Stoke last weekend. The Englishman has suffered some damage to his knee ligaments, meaning back up keeper Boaz Myhill will step in for the time he is sidelined. At 4.0m and in a side managed by Tony Pulis he is definitely worth considering, especially as bench fodder if nothing else. Definitely one to keep an eye on after their game against Manchester City this weekend, with games coming up against QPR, Leicester and Crystal Palace.

Jason Puncheon is looking set to miss this weekends game against Stoke City after the midfielder copped a knee to his hamstring in last weekends win over QPR. He only managed to register 55 minutes before succumbing to the knock and comments during the week from Pardew suggests he wont get up for the trip to the Britannia this weekend. Pardew said during the week, “he got a knee in the hamstring, it’s bruising. I think he will probably miss one game.” If he does miss out, a return against Manchester City next gameweek is likely.

Jonathan Walters is a doubt for this weekends clash against Crystal Palace after the forward underwent surgery during the week to repair a fractured cheekbone. He has not been ruled out yet, however will await a decision from the surgeon before determining whether or not he will feature this gameweek. Likely to face a late fitness test with the outcome of the test determining whether or not he will play.

Nikica Jelavic will be sidelined for the next 6 weeks at least after he underwent knee surgery during the week to hopefully fix a persistent and ongoing problem, something causing him constant discomfort. Hull will be without their main man for a minimum of 6 weeks, meaning a huge reliance will be placed on Dame N’Doye. He’s impressed since signing for the Tigers, can he carry them on his back and help Hull avoid relegation? Hull fans will certainly be hoping so! One for the punters.

Kevin Mirallas could be sidelined for the next 1-2 weeks after the dead leg he received is worse than first thought. The Belgian is looking like only missing this weekend’s game against QPR and then returning after the International Break next gameweek against Southampton in gameweek 31.

Team News:

Angel Di Maria will be available for Manchester United this weekend after serving his one match suspension for the red card he received against Arsenal in the FA Cup last week. The Argentine will be looking to redeem himself after struggling for form recently. A game against Liverpool at Anfield is one way to endear himself back into the hearts of United fans. Time to step up Angel!

Fabricio Coloccini will be unavailable for Newcastle’s next three matches after he was shown a straight red card in last weekend’s 3-0 loss to Everton. The skipper will miss games against Arsenal, Sunderland and Aston Villa and then return against Tottenham in gameweek 33.

Southampton have a fully fit squad to choose from this weekend, aside from long term injuries in Jay Rodriguez and Emmanuel Mayuka, for their clash against Burnley. Ronald Koeman confirmed during the week that Elijero Elia will be available after missing last weekend’s draw against Chelsea.

Both Claudio Yacob and Chris Brunt will be unavailable for West Brom this weekend against Manchester City due to suspension. They will however be available after the International Break, meaning a return against QPR.

Well that wraps up another edition of the News Wrap. Good luck this weekend and let’s hope our players redeem themselves from last weekends piss poor performance. Fee free to post any last minute selection queries in the comments below. Cheers!